About me and my passion for cars

My late father was a classic car dealer. I grew up with all kinds of classic cars and trucks around our house. His love of cars just naturally trickled down to me. Dad had a soft spot though for muscle cars. His favorites were the Mustang, Trans Am and Camaro. I learned to drive stick shift on a mid 40's model truck (shifter on the column) and a 1965 mustang 3-speed with a 450 in it (car would crawl up a wall if you wanted it to!) My Dad gave me my first car, a Heritage Brown/Camel Tan interior 1977 Camaro, when I was 14. I drove it for 4 years before I got tired of having no AC in the hot Arkansas summers. So in 1984, my sophomore year of college, I traded him for a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am. It was the same color scheme, Heritage Brown and Camel Tan interior. She was promptly named Brown Sugar. I drove Sugar all through college. My two roommates and I went everywhere with her. With that big 403 Olds engine and the posi-traction rear end, there was no place she couldn't go. When Sugar started to decline mechanically and eat up too much gas money, I traded her back to Dad for 1984 Camaro Berlinetta. But luckily, instead of selling her like he did everything else, he loved her as much as I did and he tucked her away in the garage. Time passed and Sugar didn't get much drive time, just the occasional crank-up and drive around the block. About 10 years ago, he began to restore her, putting on a new paint job. But just five years after, Dad passed away. A couple of years after that, on a visit home, my husband David (who is a car nut also and used to go with Dad to auctions) said "you know what? I think it's time we got Brown Sugar back on the road". So we brought her down to Texas to begin restoration. Still a very solid car, we started with the interior. We got some help from David Mars at Texas Trans Ams (www.texastransams.com) on the dash removal/installation and replacing the door panels. Then my husband David and I worked on the rest of the interior. It's now completely back to new again, including an original Delco AM/FM cassette radio (with auto reverse!). Next year sometime we hope to get a new paint job, and detail the engine and underside and then she'll show and shine with the best of them. But for now, it's just the greatest thing in the world to climb into that car, crank up Boston on the radio and hit the open road. And since we bought my husband's dream car last year, a 1977 Trans Am Special Edition Bandit, we are a TA family!! But from my Dad's collection we also have a 1968 Mustang GT convertible (Plum Pearl color) which belongs to my oldest daughter Hannah. We gave to our youngest daughter, DJ, one of Dad's other cars, a 1967 Mercury Cougar (Butter Yellow). And we have a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL convertible, (black/black) and a 1971 SWB Chevy Cheyenne pickup (blue/white). So you see, we really do have a passion for cars!!

My first car

A 1977 Camaro Heritage Brown with Camel Tan interior and no AC!

Car I wish I still had

I do still have it!! My 1979 Trans Am, Heritage Brown and Camel Tan interior.
It was my college car!

My dream car

1974 Super Duty Trans Am

Car clubs I’m in

Dallas Area Pontiac Association (DAPA)
Texas F-Body Association
North Texas Mustang Club
Mustang Club of America

— Profile last updated: Sep 14, 2007